


A Curious Rumor

by Resoan



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-10
Updated: 2015-03-10
Packaged: 2018-03-17 04:30:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3515450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Resoan/pseuds/Resoan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inquisitor Fen'Vethra Lavellan stumbles across a few nobles gossiping in Skyhold: about the relationship between her and Commander Cullen. What she hears dazes her handily, and only when she goes to Cullen do things begin to make sense again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Curious Rumor

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the DA Valentine's Gift Exchange on tumblr :3 Fen'Vethra is the Inquisitor for my recipient.

“Oh, it’s so  _exciting_!” One of the visiting Orlesian noblewomen cooed at the man standing across from her, her painted mask concealing her features though it did not take anyone of notable skill to realize how pleased she sounded.

“I can’t believe the Commander intends to ask for her hand so soon,” the man replied, undoubtedly with a sour frown, though the passing gossip had the Inquisitor frozen in her tracks. It had been a simple thing: to return to Josephine with a missive from one of Leliana’s agents in Crestwood; of course, Fen’Vethra always heard the idle rumors the visiting dignitaries bantered with back and forth. Only a handful of times had they been obviously about  _her_ , however, and certainly not about something so personal – not with her standing so nearby anyway. It took the warrior several seconds to recompose herself, and only as she took another step and headed for Josephine did the Orlesian pair notice her presence and promptly lower their voices into hushed whispers.

Her heart still pounded as she finally made it to the Ambassador’s chamber, and while Josephine certainly noticed something… _off_  about the Inquisitor, she had little chance to inquire about it before Fen’Vethra was heading away – to clear her head, and to recall the last time she’d spent time with Cullen to see if she’d missed some sort of signs that he was going to propose. The vast majority of Skyhold’s battlements were empty, save for the patrolling scouts under Cullen’s command, and Fen’Vethra had even begun to recognize some of them – even knew some names, though it was a slow-going process. She was still needed to close rifts further north now that Corypheus had been dealt with, and Solas’s disappearance was still a veritable mystery she was intent on solving.

For now, however, such things were not on the forefront of her mind; she didn’t even try to stifle the smile that spread across her lips at the mere thought of Cullen, and it was with a swift motion in her pocket that she retrieved the small token he’d offered her when they’d visited Ferelden a while ago – after the final battle with Corypheus, she’d even gone back to Cullen and showed it to him, almost as though informing him that it alone managed to keep her safe during her darkest hour. His smile had been soft, sweet, so filled with affection it made her chest swell with emotion, but marriage? They hadn’t even broached the topic – not even after Halamshiral with so many sniffing around him and refusing to leave his side even as he refused to dance with them.

Fen’Vethra’s lips twisted into a frown then; what  _did_  she think of getting married? There was no question in her mind of loving Cullen, of wanting to be with him, to help him, and everything else their entanglement entailed, but a formal ceremony in a  _Chantry_  with vows and such? It made the elf uncomfortable: not because of the implications of marriage itself with Cullen, but with everything leading up to it; Cullen, however, was a more traditional sort, and though she herself did not share his beliefs in the Maker or Andraste, she could respect the solidity and firmness of his beliefs.  _There’s quite a bit of_ _ **firmness**_ _elsewhere_. It was a thought that came unbidden, and while Fen’Vethra laughed despite herself, she had to shake her head free of the thought; now wasn’t the time for jesting. If Cullen  _did_  ask her this question, she wanted to be prepared.

 _Will you marry me?_  Even imagining Cullen asking that had her stomach twisting and turning pleasantly, and there was no denying the smile on her lips either; she supposed the bottom line was that she loved him and she wanted to be with him – what was marriage, truly, besides the declaration of these things to everyone? She certainly wasn’t ashamed of him or of their relationship, even if she could envision some of her clan being less than gracious about her intimacy with a  _shemlen_. Their opinions didn’t matter, though: not on this point; her life was her own, and as much as she might have missed being a part of her clan, she hadn’t seen them in over a year already. That alone was tough to imagine.

 _I…suppose my mind is made, then_. Fen’Vethra tried not to agonize over decisions – feeling bad about them never made them any easier to make, and in the end, they needed to be made regardless. It relieved a burden from her shoulders, and her smile was firmly back in place as she crossed Skyhold to head for Cullen’s tower; she greeted several scouts and agents as she went, the sun’s warm rays softening her features as they played along the lines of her face. She knocked more out of politeness than anything else, though didn’t wait for him to reply before slipping inside the tower he’d made into his own.

Cullen was seated behind his desk, a few missives and parchments spread out across its surface; his hand cradled his head – likely a headache – though it warmed her heart to see him look up, and then to watch as his eyes softened, his brow smoothed, and he set down the letter he’d been reading. “You look like you need a break,” she informed him with a wide grin; Cullen’s lips twitched in response before he chuckled quietly and nodded.

“Even after the immediate threat is gone, there’s still so much to do, but I suppose I can spare some time for you.” His tone was obviously a japing one, and Fen’Vethra laughed as she crossed the distance between them and Cullen stood just in time to catch her in his arms. The pair allowed silence to settle between them for just a moment: a quiet, serene moment simply to enjoy the other’s presence and warmth, and Fen’Vethra inhaled slowly as she recalled why she’d purposefully sought him out that day – not that seeing him necessitated any particular circumstances. “Not that I’m ungrateful for the distraction, but did you come here for more than just a visit?”

He pulled away from her slightly to look down into her face, and already she could feel the damnable butterflies fluttering in her belly just from his  _gaze_ ; his eyes were warm and deep, curious but not probing, and Fen’Vethra had to will herself not to become lost in their depths. “I’ve…heard about your plans, Cullen,” she finally murmured, a light flush coloring her cheeks a subdued red. “You can go ahead and ask, you know.” Her smile was bright and brilliant, one of her hands lifting to cup the side of his jaw in something of a reassuring touch, though all she saw come over his features was confusion. His eyebrows furrowed, lips parting slightly, and her stomach abruptly dropped well below her knees.

“My  _plans_?” He inquired gently, though Fen’Vethra was already shaking her head – was already trying to step away and hide for a while, but Cullen’s arms were unrelenting and still quite firmly around her, effectively locking her into place even as she averted her gaze. Perhaps it was simply because he could read her so well after all they’d been through together, but after peering down at her for a while long, he murmured but a single syllable, “ _Ah_.”

“It’s… alright,” she finally murmured, feeling equal parts foolish and embarrassed. “I heard some of the nobles talking, and…jumped to conclusions. If we could forget this ever happened, I’d be eternally grateful.”

“Vethra.” Cullen took care that his voice was gentle, and even when the Inquisitor did not look up, he lifted her chin delicately with his thumb and forefinger, the corners of his lips tugging into a so heartfelt a smile she doubted she’d ever seen it before – she’d have remembered the odd things it did to her as she struggled to breathe properly. “I don’t want to forget this ever happened,” he finally informed her, hints of mischief and amusement tingeing his smile. “In fact, I want to remember.  _Always_.”

He tilted her chin just slightly upwards before leaning down, and Fen’Vethra inhaled sharply when their lips met; her heart sped in her chest, and any memory of being  _embarrassed_  in front of Cullen was promptly forgotten: tossed by the wayside in favor of more pressing issues. His hand had already returned to her waist and curled around it, and for her part, Fen’Vethra had pressed closer: one hand slipping up the back of his neck until it threaded in some, blond curls at the nape of his neck.

“Will you marry me?” It was a breathless murmur spoken against the side of her neck just below her ear, and it honestly took Fen’Vethra a moment to discern what Cullen had said – had been far too focused on the way his lips moved when he’d spoken. Her eyes widened, heart seizing in her chest, and something curiously like tears pressed behind her eyes; she almost asked if he were serious, but this was Cullen: strong, steadfast, stalwart, always ready for whatever the world threw at him – he was not one for japes, especially not ones that held such significance and importance to the pair of them.

“Of course I will,” she finally replied, pulling back only to wipe the happy tears from her eyes. Her arms wound around his neck and he pulled her instinctively closer, the Commander quite intent on never letting her go again.


End file.
